How to Windows 7-ify Your Mac OS X Computer

Anyhow, Mac users, don’t despair. The Windows vs. Mac debate shall never end. In this post, I highlight two features made popular on Windows 7 and show how you, the Mac user, can incorporate and utilize the same features on your Mac.

Windows Snap

You’ve seen the commercials. Windows 7 allows you to “snap” two windows on opposite halves of your screen to help improve your workflow. Luckily, thanks to Cinch, Mac users can also do the same thing.

With Cinch(read my review here!), you can drag windows to opposite sides of your screen and the app will automatically resize it to fit one half of the screen. There is also another similar app called Sizeup, which offers greater flexibility and utilizes keyboard input to manage your windows.

Both apps can be purchased for $7 and $13, respectively, or can be downloaded for free as nagware, if you don’t mind a simple pop up once in a while.

Windows Aero-Peek

With HyperDock, Windows Aero-Peek arrives on the Mac. This free app, which is currently in beta and is available for Mac OS X 10.6x and up, allows you to hover over dock icons and preview windows associated with that app. Similar to Windows Aero-Peek, clicking on the preview opens up the hidden app. Another cool bonus is that if you have iTunes running, hovering over the iTunes logo shows music control buttons, removing the need to bring up iTunes to change your current song.

It gets even better. This app also allows for windows resizing, a la Cinch and Sizeup. I stuck with Cinch mainly out of habit, but for users who haven’t downloaded either app yet, consider using HyperDock.